thanks for all the info, gents.

a coupla 2-3 more questions.

amazon.com won't deliver to kunming, right? is amazon.cn up to the same standards as amazon.com or is it a circus like taobao?

and are there official stores for Sony, Canon, ... in Kunming?

and another question. is most electronics stuff in hong kong stores legit?

I think Amazon US will deliver to China. But Amazon EU may not.
Not used Amazon.cn.

Regard Cannon, Sony, etc. There are official sellers, but there are also fake stores, that have all the decor of an official store. Gome stores may be a good starting point.

I always buy electronics, cameras, watches, stuff like this in HK. Providing you buy it from one of the longer term vendors, not the street market, it should be genuine. HK is about 4 decades ahead of PRC when it comes to consumer protection.
Prices in HK are much better, there are no real bargains or discounts in PRC. I can get a good cheap Casio for about 300 HKD, whereas I have been asked much more for unbranded sinowatch, of unknown quality. Computers are cheaper and higher specs are available, also lower specs can be bought at knockdown price.

I found vendors in HK, for stuff I wanted, by posting a 'where can I buy?' type question on the asiaxpat.com website, on the 'tech and gadget talk' forum. People in HK will tell you where they go, and even give you directions from the nearest metro/subway station.

thanks all. very helpful.

Don't think this was mentioned: There are lots of hidden prices and extras (some necessities) that many sites don't mention. Many of the top selling sites pay Taobao to be listed on page 1 or 2 as well. Example: Say you're looking for a tablet computer since Taobao has so many Chinese brands with excellent value for money. You see the first 3-4 shops advertising it for 899 yuan, and the rest from 999 to 1299 or whatever. When you go to check out the 899 site you find out there's no charger, no sd card, no cables, no cover, no HDMI, you name it. Great for some, but most of us need at least some of that stuff. You clock the Option 3 or 4 to get all the extras as well, and ding, the price goes up to 1299 as well or higher, which is the price the other shops used as well.

I've noticed this approach has become more and more common over the past couple of years. Fridge in polished aluminium pictured for 2500? Get in there and find out it's the boring white one for that price. Looking for an electric car for your toddler, 600 yuan? Cool, until you find out that you need to buy a better engine and batteries if you want to to run for more than 5 minutes.

Thanks. good point.

Is there a way to be reasonably sure that you're getting a new item that isn't fake and isn't defective and that it can be serviced if it has problems?

For example, do they have ratings of shops or something based on customer reviews?

Even amazon has scam artists, but I think they're rated and users mention them when reviewing products.

Taobao does have ratings and the number of transactions over time. You can also filter by total cost (item + shipping) which gets round the old problem of 1000 rmb ipad and 10000 shipping.

There is also a part of Taobao called TMall, I am not sure but think it is approved traders. Other will be able to better advise.

For the ratings, read the reviews carefully. Customers often leave high star ratings, otherwise the might get low ratings in return, but they will mention if they have encountered any problems.

Also, at the checkout, some sellers offer additional insurance or a small fee for 'free' returns. I now always tick those after I bought a foreign branded pair of jeans and received a locally branded one of much lower quality.

tiger, you're right about TMall. Just looked it up. Thanks.

www.east-west-connect.com/tmall-growth-china

If you want to open an online shop in TMall, you need to get verified. If you sell Adidas products, you would need to provide evidence that you are a legal, authorized dealer. You'd have to show where you buy your products and prove that they are real. Also you need to pay a deposit fee. If you're caught selling fake goods, the deposit fee will be used to pay customer refunds. Besides the deposit, you have to pay a service fee as well.

This provides TMall store owners with several benefits. For one, customers trust TMall more than they trust other online retailers.